KYIV. Aug 22 (Interfax) - The Yenakiyeve Metallurgy Plant in the Donetsk region affiliated with the Metinvest group suffered significant damage after being shelled; in particular, its lime kiln and fire resistant facilities have been brought out of operation, and significant damage has been caused to the converter and utilities plants and the railway transport department.

Metinvest reported in a press release on Friday that the shelling caused no fatalities.

"The principal production facilities and a significant amount of communication facilities were damaged as the Yenakiyeve Metallurgy Plant came under artillery fire yesterday," it said.

Preliminary estimates show that the lime kiln and fire resistant facilities would require a complete overhaul. The water conditioning unit for the continuous casting machine in the converter plant has been seriously damaged. The cooling tower's irrigation systems and coating have been destroyed, and electric filters in the ventilation section have been damaged. Some rail tracks, a front-end bucket loader, and a track machine have been destroyed as well. Some auxiliary facilities have also been damaged.

"The situation at the metallurgy plant is difficult, but its management and specialists supported by the Metinvest group management are maintaining the plant in operational condition," the Yenakiyeve Metallurgy Plant's press service quoted its General Director Alexander Podkorytov as saying.

The plant's stoppage is a blow not only to the city of Yenakiyeve, as its contribution to the city budget reaches 25%, but also to budgets of other levels, he said.

It was reported earlier that the destruction of power transmission lines feeding Yenakiyeve and Khartsyzsk by shellfire crippled the Yenakiyeve Metallurgy Plant, the Yenakiyeve Byproduct Coking Plant, and the Khartsyzsk Pipe Plant. The Avdiyivka Byproduct Coking Plant had been cut off from power supply earlier.

Metinvest is the largest Ukrainian metallurgy and mining holding. The group's facilities are located mainly in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Metinvest's principal shareholders are the SKM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%) which jointly manage the company.

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